AMMAN — A “worldly epidemic,” obesity prevalence is alarmingly
high in Jordan among children and adults, putting the population at a high risk
of developing
Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs), according to the
World Health Organization (WHO).
اضافة اعلان
Ayoub
Al-Jawaldeh, technical expert in the WHO regional office for the Eastern
Mediterranean, told
Jordan News that obesity in Jordan is “considered to be
among the highest among the countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region,
making it a risk factor for NCDs.”
In Jordan,
prevalence of obesity is 40 percent, while the prevalence of overweight is 70
percent, according to the WHO and Jawaldeh.
The WHO also
reported that average obesity among Jordanian males and females is 36 percent.
In an
interview with
Jordan News, nutritionist Asma Al-Kahlout said: “As associated
with metabolic abnormalities, diseases caused by obesity involve diabetes, high
blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, fatty liver disease, strokes, and celiac
disease — I believe that majority of diseases are directly linked to obesity.”
The Kingdom
does not have enough public facilities that encourage physical exertion, and its
recreational entertainment industry mostly revolves around food, according to Al-Kahlout.
“This is a key
motive for the spiraling rate of obesity in Jordan,” said Kahlout. “Some public
facilities, such as gyms, require memberships and are costly and unaffordable
for the majority. This limits people’s access to physical activity and
discourages them to work on maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle.”
Kahlout also explained
how her clients vary in weight, Body Mass Index (BMI), and health conditions,
which necessitates individualizing dietary plans. Some of these plans include the Atkin diet, volumetric diet, balance
diet, low calorie diet, and keto diet.
“Some patients
may need surgical procedures to get rid of corpulence, and this solution is only
sought out when the patient has very low determination to follow a diet plan,” said
Kahlout.
“Most of my
patients come to me after undergoing gastric bypass surgery, or operations as such,”
she said.
Psychologist Abdullah
Abu Adas told Jordan News that “in many cases, we consulted colleagues in
nutrition and in obesity surgeries. We note that the patient's opinion of
themselves after losing weight is very positive and they are now able to live their
more flexibly. Some of them even got rid of their NCDs.”
“Obesity is one of the negative pathological factors
prevalent in Jordan and the Arab region, in general. It can be a cause or a
consequence of depression. As for obesity in children, it leads to depression
and exposes the child to bullying, lack of self-confidence, and shyness,” contended
Abu Adas.
He added that
children with obesity suffer from disturbances in sleep, breathing, and
communication with others, and this only increases the burden of obesity on them.
“Fast food
habits are among the patterns that contributed to the increase in children’s
obesity. During COVID-19, most parents did not adhere to healthy eating
patterns, and this only led to an increase in obesity among children,
especially with the ongoing online schooling,” he said.
According to
Abu Adas, older people who are obese face issues related to social roles and
the inability to perform occupational tasks required of them.
“Obesity in women
adds additional burdens on them too, and at times, they do not feel confident when they gain weight. Hormonal
changes also accompany obesity in women.”
As for
psychological disorders related to obesity, anorexia has the patient feeling
obese regardless of their weight, leading them to participate in weight
reduction procedures such as taking harmful medication and exercising
excessively, pointed out Abu Adas.
Bulimia, in
contrast, is a life-threatening disorder than leads to binge eating and
purging.
“Obesity is a
global burden on the individual and his family, and a burden on the health
system, with its negative psychological and biological effects on all ages,” Abu
Adas said.
According to a
study conducted by Epidemiology and Health in Jordan, men are significantly
more likely than women to develop diabetes, hypertension, elevated
triglycerides, and low HDL cholesterol.
Results showed
that a total of 1,216 participants between the ages of 40 and 50, and 1,288
above the age of 50, were prone to developing NCDs.
The mean value
of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood
pressure, triglycerides, and fasting blood glucose were significantly higher in
men, while the mean values of total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol were
significantly higher in women.
A study on standardized prevalence rates of obesity for men and women
was also conducted. According to the Intermediate Distribution Frame (IDF)
criteria, the age-standardized prevalence of obesity was 60.4 percent among men
and 75.6 percent among women.
As for BMI, it was estimated that three-fourths of both men and women
were overweight or obese.
Using the waist-to-height ratio for the Jordanian population, the study showed
that 44.2 percent of men and 47.8 percent of women were obese.
Another study was done by the Pan African Medical Journal (PAMJ) with
701 participants from governmental and private schools in Jordan, 53.6 percent
of whom were male and 46.4 percent of whom were female, with an age range of
12-18.
Findings indicated that students with normal BMI had a BMI of 21.45.
Those who were obese, or overweight had a BMI of 29.1.
When asked
about the relationship between obesity and wealth, Kahlout stated that
“citizens living in poverty are exposed to unhealthy foods that are more
affordable than whole foods.”
This is a
common and direct cause of obesity in low-income communities.
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